Abstract
Acalculia is an acquired disorder in calculation abilities, usually associated with left posterior parietal damage. Two types of acalculic disorders are usually distinguished: (1) primary acalculia or anarithmetia, where the patient presents a loss of numerical concepts (difficulties are observed both in oral and written calculations), and (2) secondary acalculia due to a different disturbance in cognition and affecting mathematical abilities. Secondary acalculias are associated with aphasia, alexia, agraphia, executive function disorders, or visuospatial difficulties. This paper is a proposal for clinical intervention to rehabilitation of acquired primary and secondary acalculias.
Highlights
The disturbance in understanding the numerical system associated with the loss of the ability to perform arithmetical operations is known as acalculia [1]
Acalculia can represent a fundamental acquired cognitive disturbance, but difficulties in performing arithmetical operations can be found in cases of disturbances in language, attention, reading, writing, and other cognitive impairments
Gerstmann [5] suggested that primary acalculia is found associated with agraphia, right-left disorientation, and digital agnosia resulting in a single clinical syndrome that has since become known as “Gerstmann’s syndrome” or “angular gyrus syndrome.”
Summary
The disturbance in understanding the numerical system associated with the loss of the ability to perform arithmetical operations is known as acalculia (or acquired dyscalculia) [1]. McCloskey et al [10,11,12] and Caramazza and McCloskey [13] proposed a cognitive model regarding the processing of numbers and the relationship of arithmetical operations This model includes a distinction between the processing system of numbers (an understanding mechanism and the production of numbers) in addition to the numerical calculation system that includes the necessary processing components to accomplish mathematical operations. Ardila and Rosselli [16] proposed a comprehensive classification of acalculias They distinguished six different types acalculia: (1) primary acalculia or anarithmetia, (2) aphasic acalculia, (3) alexic acalculia, (4) agraphic acalculia, (5) dysexecutive (frontal) acalculia, and (6) spatial acalculia. It is important to emphasize that rehabilitation is based in both targeting restitution of the original impaired function and reorganization of functions employing other less or unimpaired cognitive functions [21, 22]
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